Jean-Francois La Perouse

How old was he when he started his first voyage?
15 years old

When and where was he born?
Near Albi, France in August 23 1741

What were the names of his two ships?
The Astrolabe, under Fleuriot de Langle and the Boussole which was under La Perouse himself, both ships weighed around 500 tons

How did he die and what happened to his boats?
He was lost at sea, therefore the exact way he died is unknown, however they have the wreckage of both the Astrolabe and the Boussole. He was last heard of in 1788

What did he do?
He did many things; however his main feats of exploration were in Alaska, California, Japan, Russia and certain parts of the Pacific

Did he find anything?
He did find anything big, like Columbus, however he was the first European to set foot in Maui, and the second European to go to the island of Quelpart, only beaten by Dutch men who shipwrecked there in 1635

What did obstacles did he encounter?
I am not exactly sure what, therefore I will list obstacles most explorers of his time encountered: First there is the obvious lack of food, water and other resources, angry natives, the fear of mutiny if conditions are bad and the boat sinking.

How did he treat his crew?
I am not exactly sure, however judging that he took severe notes on the harsh treatment of Indians in a British settlement he was probably a human-rights believer, which probably meant he treated his crew equally and fairly, unlike others who abuse and sometimes even killed their own crew.

How crewmen did he have?
114 on his ship, the Boussole and 106 on de Angle’s (still under his command, nut de Angle was captain) which made a total of 220 crewmen on the expedition.

Why did he become an explorer?
I am not exactly sure; therefore I will list a number of different reasons why most men (or women for that matter) chose to lead a life of an explorer, there are 3 main reasons why most people become explorers: For money and valuable possessions, for king an country or for the excitement of it, the thrills, the falls, the joy of finding something no- one else has ever found!

Why did he go into the navy?
I am not exactly sure, therefore I will give 2 reasons why most boys (since they didn’t permit girls at the time) go into the navy: Firstly because it is far more thrilling then going into the church (which is what most boys from prestigious families did), and secondly because of prize money, any crewmen would expect a cut of anything they captured, the amount of money given was according to rank.

How did the inhabitants of the land he explored feel about him?
It actually really is dependable; the inhabitants of Yeso welcomed him and drew him a map showing their environs while the inhabitants of Navigator Islands (Samoa) attacked his crew.

Did people think his work was useful?
Probably since his the details of his journey (which was sent to Paris before he set off from Australia and was never seen again) was published and distributed greatly among the any who wanted it.

How did people feel about his death?
I am not exactly sure, however people when searching for him, which indicates they probably felt worried.

What did other explorers think of him and his work?
They probably valued him, since most of the people were explorers, as for his work I am not exactly sure.